Mindset Unlimited: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Women in a Time of Change

Reclaiming creativity and healing through art is essential because you’re innately creative, even if you’re someone who wouldn’t label yourself as “a creative.” Many of people learn to disconnect from their creativity as children because self-expression doesn’t feel safe, pressure to do art “right” surrounded it with perfectionism, and internalized productivity prioritizing. All of these have an impact on our mental health. This is why reclaiming space for creativity for creativity sake can be integral in a healing journey. Additionally, having space held for you can be healing for access to your authentic expression.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Krishna Kayastha (she/her) to join me in a conversation about reclaiming creativity and healing through art.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Lessons learned through motherhood
• Releasing perfectionism and embracing play
• Supporting your mental health through journaling
• The necessity of allowing yourself space 

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Artist's Way

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Weekly Journal Prompts

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Foundations for authentic public relations support building solid connections whether you are an organization or individual. The value of truly listening to others, understanding different perspectives and pathways toward a goal, and then following through on what you learn cannot be overstated. These principles of communication and relationship building are critical to create an impact and drive meaningful change in a way that respects all people. Giving the space to engage in a relational process is not easy in the world of urgency and sound bites but it’s necessary for authentically engaging the public.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Catharine Montgomery (she/her) to join me in a conversation about how to set and sustain the foundations for authentic public relations.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• People pleasing vs listening and serving
• The importance of follow through to build trust
• Evaluating your purpose and priorities
• Ensuring alignment with clear expectations
• Patience with the info gathering process 

CONNECT WITH CATHARINE MONTGOMERY
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Threads

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Understanding the 5 Love Languages has helped facilitate communication for many people but it has numerous limitations. While the 5 Love Languages has become an extremely popular relationship tool, it’s not a fix-all and it may not be the right approach for everyone. What about this tool makes it helpful and where it falls short can help you determine if and how to apply it in your own life.

In this episode of Unlimited, I’m exploring understanding the 5 Love Languages and how to apply it appropriately in your own life.

Some of what I’ll cover in this episode include:

• What are the 5 Love Languages
• Limitations of the 5 Love Languages model
• Learning what you need and communicating it
• Reflections to support self-love
• Tips to use the 5 Love Languages model

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  @unlimitedcoachval

I love to hear your thoughts and I'm always happy to answer any questions.
You can shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram
 
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
5 Love Languages Website
The 5 Love Languages Book
Is There Science Behind the 5 Love Languages
Building a Relationship to Pleasure and Intimacy with Daniela Stevens
Understanding Your Stress Language
Stress Language Quiz
HS Emotion Wheels & Needs Wheels
Ask Val Form

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Building a relationship to pleasure and intimacy takes a lot of intention in this society that still treats talking about sex as taboo. So many people struggle with intimacy due to lack of communication, trauma, and societal conditioning to disconnect from their bodies and desires. Improving intimacy requires us to unlearn harmful norms and relearn our embodied self. Tools like love languages and embodied practices can help us engage in conscious communication with partners. It helps to create a safe container to explore these sensitive topics compassionately, gain perspective on cultivating more fulfilling relationships.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Daniela Stevens (she/they) to join me in a conversation about how to meet yourself where you’re at as you build a relationship to pleasure and intimacy.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Breaking the rules we assume in romantic relationships
• Learning to love yourself and listen to your body
• Shifting from goals to intentions in sex
• The pressure to perform and recovering from ways we disconnect

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
How to Create Belonging with Amena Chaudhry
2017 Medium Article - Why Men Keep Demanding Sex from their Partners Over and Over
Monsters In Love: Why Your Partner Sometimes Drives You Crazy—And What You Can Do About It by Resmaa Menakem

CONNECT WITH DANIELA STEVENS
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Free Gift for deeper sexual connection

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Creating healthy relationships in all areas of our life is the focus of this season of Unlimited. A relationship is how we relate to another person, place, thing, or even concept. How we relate to ourselves is at the core of how we relate to others. Yet, how we understand and relate to ourselves is also built from those external relationships. Unfortunately, most of us haven’t been taught how to cultivate healthy relationships let alone experienced examples of them. In many cases we need to first unlearn harmful ways of relating before we can learn healing ways of relating. First, we’ll lay a foundation of understanding healthy and unhealthy relating. Then, over the next several months, we’ll explore how it applies to all areas of our life.

In this episode of Unlimited, I’m kicking off the focus of season 4 by setting a foundation for creating healthy relationships.

Some of what I’ll cover in this episode include:

• Understanding relationships beyond the interpersonal
• Qualities of healthy relationships like trust, honesty, communication, and self-awareness
• Relationship red flags like control, disrespect, imbalances, and hurtful language
• Building self-trust and growing through conflict
• What to expect in Season 4 of Unlimited

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Signs of a Healthy Relationship
Tips for Building a Stronger Relationship
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Discover valuable New Year transition tips in this Season 3 wrap-up for the Unlimited Podcast. The period between one cycle and the next is a great time to reflect both on where you’ve been and where you’re going. It’s important to create supportive space to engage and focus that reflection. You can set that foundation through honoring your humanity and connecting to what’s really important to you. Celebrating helps you acknowledge yourself even in the small spaces we too often overlook. From there you can create the next phase of your life. 

In this episode of Unlimited, I’m diving into a season 3 wrap-up and new year transition tips to help you maximize the time between this cycle and the next.

Some of what I’ll cover in this episode include:

• Review of Season Three
• What’s coming in Season Four
• Creating aligned focus in the new year (If you want to skip the recap, the tips start about 15 mins in)
• Supports for you in 2024

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  @unlimitedcoachval

I love to hear your thoughts and I'm always happy to answer any questions.
You can shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Setting Healthy Boundaries
How to Say No Without Guilt
What to Do When You’ve Fallen Behind
A Simple Way to End the Year Strong – Seeds For Growth Presentation
The Unlimited Podcast Mix
Rest is Resistance – A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
You're More Than Your Personality Test
Energy Leadership Index Assessment
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Apply to be coached on the podcast

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Aligning with your astrology is a way to explore what works for you. From new year plans to parenting, it’s one thing to recognize that there’s no one size fits all, but it can be hard to step outside the norms without some kind of framework to work from. Not to mention, it’s even harder to think outside the box when you’re already exhausted from trying to function within the normalized systems that aren’t working for you. Astrology is a tool that can help you explore other ways to look at challenges and maximize opportunities both in preparing for the year ahead as well as looking at dynamics in your relationships with kids and parents.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Babs Cheung to join me in a conversation about how to align with your astrology as you plan for a new year.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Calendar year vs Fiscal year
• Understanding your cosmic flow
• Astrology as a parenting tool
• Cycles in your life and generational patterns

 
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Astro.com
Café Astrology
Café Astrology 2024 Ephemeris
The Myth of Normal

CONNECT WITH BABS CHEUNG:
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Discovery Quiz

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Accessing the true power of gratitude requires going beyond the individual mindset approach that is typically referenced. Expressions of gratitude have been observed among many communally based species. It supports group functioning. Thus, the true power of gratitude is in collective connection, not individual mindset. Studies show that there are a plethora of benefits to gratitude. The problems of toxic positivity and tolerating unacceptable behavior shows up when gratitude is used as a tool of individualism.

In this episode of Unlimited, I’m exploring accessing the true power of gratitude through shifting out of individualistic thinking and into collective consideration.

Some of what I’ll cover in this episode include:

• The biological purpose of gratitude
• Guilt vs responsibility
• Individualism’s distortion of gratitude
• Developing a gratitude practice

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  @unlimitedcoachval

I love to hear your thoughts and I'm always happy to answer any questions.
You can shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Science of Gratitude white paper
Neuroscience Reveals Gratitude Literally Rewires Your Brain to be Happier
How to Make Stress Your Friend TedTalk
The Book of Joy
Understanding Your Stress Language episode
You’re More Than Your Personality Test episode
Toxic Positivity episode
Helpful vs Harmful Mindset Work episode
Making Holiday Magic Workshop
Private coaching session

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How to create belonging starts with understanding that most of us don’t know what belonging really is. It’s hard to create something that you haven’t first experienced and there is a difference between intellectually understanding vs experiencing something. What most of us do experience is strong conditioning from a young age around fitting in - to our families, in our school, and, ultimately, in society. This “fitting in” is part of how we are taught to uphold oppressive social systems because creates a faux belonging that activates our need for belonging but only fills it by exclusion. So, no wonder this is a struggle for many organizations and why we need help to understand and create it.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Amena Chaudhry to join me in a conversation about how to create belonging in a true way for all.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• What is belonging?
• Fitting in vs belonging
• Disrupting social norms
• Building emotional literacy
• Leadership skills for DEI & antiracism work

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
The Wake Up by Michelle Mijung Kim
The Roundtable Talk by Meena Malik

CONNECT WITH AMENA CHAUDHRY:
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LinkedIn
Art of Interrupting Racism workshop

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Reclaiming humanity through grief is necessary for our ability to intentionally create a world that honors each person's humanity. Understanding and having space to grieve and support each other through our grief helps us to connect to our shared humanity. In so many often unconscious ways, we are encouraged to dehumanize ourselves and others. One way this happens is a disconnect from our emotions and especially a lack of understanding and space to honor grief, not just our individual grief but also our communal grief. To rehumanize ourselves and overcome the pressures to dehumanize others, we must allow the space necessary for grief and healing. 

In this episode of Unlimited, I’m exploring understanding grief and how we can reclaim our humanity through grief.

Some of what I’ll cover in this episode include:

• Types of grief: traumatic grief, communal grief and historical grief
• Understanding anger and processing grief
• Algorithms and community
• Discernment in media
• Reclaiming humanity

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  @unlimitedcoachval

I love to hear your thoughts and I'm always happy to answer any questions.
You can shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram
 
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Lived Experience of Traumatic Grief
Why Historical Trauma Is Critical Understanding Black Mental Health
The Link Between Trauma and Anger
The Process of Grief
Why Clients Smile When Talking About Trauma
Social Media, The Matrix, and Digital Tribalism
Misinformation and Trauma: How to Watch a War Online
See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur
My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

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